In this Prologue Day session, novelist and former policy analyst Elizabeth McLean examines one of the most complex and high-stakes questions historical fiction writers face: when writing across cultures becomes meaningful storytelling—and when it risks crossing into harmful cultural appropriation.

Using real-world case studies, publishing controversies, and examples from historical fiction, McLean explores how good intentions can still collide with weak research, harmful stereotypes, community pain, or tone-deaf marketing. She offers a balanced, nuanced framework for understanding the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, while providing practical strategies for writing outside your lived experience with greater depth, accuracy, and responsibility.

You’ll learn how to:

• Recognize common pitfalls that can lead to harmful cultural appropriation

• Understand what went wrong in high-profile publishing controversies such as American Dirt

• Navigate the challenges of fictionalizing real historical people and communities

• Use sensitivity readers thoughtfully—and understand both their value and limitations

• Strengthen your research beyond surface-level detail

• Build relationships and seek informed feedback from the communities you’re writing about

• Revise language, scenes, and characterization to avoid harmful tropes or distortions

• Approach cross-cultural historical fiction with both creative freedom and ethical responsibility

This session offers a thoughtful, practical guide for writers who want to tell ambitious historical stories while honoring the people, cultures, and histories at their center.